Naruto: Hero Rising
by StrikeOut
Summary: STRONG NARUTO. Pairing: Naruto x Reader Decides. What if Naruto developed some common sense after living on the streets? What if the Hokage assigned some to teach him about the life of a ninja? Watch as he lives up to his fathers legacy.
1. Prologue

Well here it is, the very first chapter of my very first story *Does victory dance*

I hope everyone enjoys it and please REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW.

Apart from that, this is gonna be a Strong Naruto story where you get to decide the pairings.

**Lithium- Evanescence**

Hello – Normal Text

"Hello"- Normal Speech

'Hello' – Normal Thoughts

"**Hello"**-Demon/ Summon speaking

'**Hello'**- Demon/Summon thoughts

The night was dark, an unnerving wind swept through the trees. It carried a foul stench lingering in the air like ink on water. The smell was smog like, the rancid aroma making breathing hard. It was the distinct scent of burning flesh.

Time seemed to have stopped, thousands of shinobi with leaves engraved on their hitae ates, surrounded a giant fox. It was an evil, convulsing mass of bright orange fur, glistening with the blood of innocents. Its nine tails swayed menacingly behind it with a life of their own. Worst of all was its KI and chakra. The killing intent was a wave of unadulterated insanity bringing even some veteran ninja to their knees in fear. The chakra wrapped the fox in a cloak of bubbling crimson acid, burning all that it touched.

"Hold the fucker back" an ANBU shouted.

All at once the sky was filled with a cacophony of cries. Doton, Suiton, Katon – jutsus of every element flew at the Kyuubi.

'_Surely it must be dead'_, thought some of the more naïve shinobi.

A malevolent laugh penetrated the chakra haze. There, in all its repulsive glory, stood the king of the Bijuu, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, it nine tails thrashing at the trees surrounding it. Untouched by the powerful barrage, the Kyuubi stared long and hard at the lives it was about to take. All it saw was blobs of convoluted veins and arteries, soft fleshy beings which were so easy to kill. Lambs to the slaughter.

'_**This is no challenge'**_ it thought. '_**No this is sport'**_.

The laugh was a taunt; it whipped the ninjas of the hidden leaf into frenzy. As if in slow motion, they turned as a single body and attacked.

It was a massacre.

They fell in their hundreds, each sweep of the Kyuubi's mighty tail causing immeasurable amounts of pain and grief. Leaves and soil alike, stained red with the never ending flow of blood. A tarnished Konoha hitae ate lay trampled into the mud, coated with grime. It just about summed everything up, Konohagakure had fallen.

Jounin and Genin alike stood before the powerful Kyuubi and fell. The fox looked and the decimation, and could not help but admire the courage and ferocity shown by the loyal Shinobi of the leaf. This truly was the embodiment of the Will of Fire.

As far as the eye could see, dead bodies hung to the trees and rocks like grotesque decorations. Flak jackets lay in shreds mangled into the dirt. Members of the Inuzaka clan were driven to lunacy from the sheer stench of the blood. Ninja were popping soldier pills like candy, all to defend the place they called home.

And amidst all the devastation, the mourning keens of men and women could be heard as they witnessed the death of loved ones. Children became orphans, wives became widows, and parents lost children. It truly was the work of a demon.

"Hold" shouted a Jounin "Hold until Hokage- sama arrives"

Seconds later his head was smote from his shoulders spraying his nearby Genin team in blood. They froze and accepted death's sweet kiss as the claw that killed their sensei came down upon them.

OX, RABBIT, MONKEY… **Raikiri** (Lightning Cutter)! Witnessing the scene, a lone ANBU with a dog mask and gravity defying hair sprinted at the Kyuubi, Sharingan blazing in one eye and lightning encasing one arm.

The arm penetrated the fox's paw splattering the ANBU in globules of steaming blood. But euphoria turned to despair as the gaping wound sealed itself and the paw swiped.

The ANBU was sent flying backwards at great pace; every passing tree was a near miss.

'_Was this the end'?_ He thought. '_Will I get to see Obito again'?_

He shut his eyes waiting for the cold embrace of death.

It never came.

He regained consciousness to find himself wrapped in the slimy muscular form of a toads tongue.

The Hokage had arrived.

His normally sunny blue eyes were glazed with anger, the bright blue hue replace with eyes as grey-blue as a storm cloud. He truly lived up to the name of Namikaze (Nami- waves, Kaze- wind).

Namikaze Minato, the Kiroi Senko, the greatest Kage to have ever lived, was about to make the ultimate sacrifice.

"Bunta my old friend" he said in a crackling voice. "I have one last request. Stall the Kyuubi while I prepare. Oh and give Jiraya- sensei a good kick in the balls when you next see him".

Minato chuckled to himself; he looked for the last time at his son, sleeping calmly in the arms of Sarutobi Hiruzen. He thought of Kushina, Jiraya, Naruto, the whole world that he was leaving behind.

"Forgive me son" he whispered, before giving a farewell salute to Sarutobi and hopping toward the Kyuubi on Gamabunta, boss of the toad summons.

"I'm gonna miss my drinking buddy" croaked Bunta in a forlorn voice, before drawing his wakizashi and fending away the tails of the Kyuubi.

The battle was heroic, many shinobi stopped whatever they were doing to witness the toad boss fighting the Kyuubi, while his summoner ran though a string of hand seals on his back that would alter the course of history.

SMASH! One of the fox's many tails slashed Bunta across his eye. The burning Chakra cauterising the wound as it struck. Bunta howled at the searing pain and knew that he had been left with a memento of the monumental battle. A scar that would be with him for the rest of his life.

Kyuubi gave a deep guttural laugh **"Go back to your pond tadpole" "You have not the strength to best me" **

Then through all of the anarchy a sound was heard.

CLAP! The fourth Hokage looked up, tears falling freely down his face, and said in a determined voice,

"Judgment Day Fox"

In a matter of seconds the Kyuubi's body vanished, its chakra and mind flew over Konoha and into the body of a young child. All across Konoha, cheers were heard, jutsus shot into the sky in ecstasy. However, in a secret room below the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi Hiruzen, donning his Hokage robes once more, watched as the essence of the Fox dissolved into young Naruto. Whisker marks formed on his face, marking him as the new Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

Sarutobi looked sadly down at Naruto, visualising the treatment he would be subjected to. Left to face the world with no parents and a demon in his belly. He reached into the makeshift crib and lifted little Naruto out.

October 10th, the day would be remembered by every man women and child in the shinobi nations. It was the day when Konohagakure was struck by a great tragedy. But also it was the day when Konoha's greatest hero was born…


	2. Of Pranks and Decisions

Chapter 2 woot.

Yeah here you get to see Naruto for the first time and his interactions with Sarutobi.

So... Enjoy and please review..

**Road Tripin'- Red Hot Chili Peppers**

Hello – Normal Text

"Hello"- Normal Speech

'Hello' – Normal Thoughts

"**Hello"**-Demon/ Summon speaking

'**Hello'**- Demon/Summon thoughts

"OJISAN"!

At the age of 3 Naruto already had as much energy as most Genin level Ninja. Many wrinkles on Sarutobi's head also showed that he had the persona and lung capacity to go with it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen carefully hid his icha icha gold edition, after the prank incident he could not afford to let Naruto see it. After sealing the book into his Hokage robes, he lit his pipe with a small Katon jutsu and swivelled in his chair to face the little bundle of joy.

Naruto stood on the desk, perching skilfully in-between all the stacks of paper. His bright orange top and blue shorts served to accentuate his bubbly personality. Sarutobi was pleased to see that living in the ANBU compound had started to work wonders for the boy's malnutrition problem and slight fear of strangers.

After successive assassination attempts and institutional mistreatment in orphanages, Sarutobi had taken the executive decision to move little Naruto to the ANBU compound.

Now Naruto seemed to forget his lack of parents, and rather began to focus on his monumental amount of brothers and sisters. His favourites by far, were doggie-san and bowl-san (Kakashi and Gai). Naruto would usually sit and referee for their 'eternal rival battles', and on occasion would try to join them for morning workouts.

Kakashi got especially worried when Naruto ran around the ANBU building and started asking all the trainees whether they would like to be his 'eternal rival'. Eventually though, everyone got used to such things and Kakashi told Naruto that as long as he wasn't wearing that god awful spandex, all was well. Gai simply laughed and made his usual generic comment about fountains of youthfulness.

Anyway, back to the story at hand,

"Ojisan, I'm bored lemme do Ninja thingies, said Naruto while attempting to scale the heights of the Hokage scroll wall.

"Now, Now Naruto I told you most children have to wait for another 4 years in order to undergo academy training" replied the stoic Sarutobi.

"Pshh that's silly Ojisan" Naruto shouted from the top of the bookshelf before flipping of the top and landing lightly on his feet.

The first time Naruto had attempted such a stunt Sarutobi himself had rushed to rescue him. But as the months rolled by he began to realise that Naruto did not, in fact need rescuing. And to top it off, Naruto found it boring if someone came to rescue him.

Once he was settled Naruto continued to speak. "Now Ojisan" he said, putting on a faux business like accent. "I wanna have a really cool teacher to make me learn super cool ninja things like doggie onisan. Aaand I want to have another teacher to make me learn kicking and how to beat up stuff like Bowl onisan. Now if I don't get these teachers I will play more pranks on you" finished Naruto with a cheeky grin on his face.

"_I'm too old for this shit"_ thought Sarutobi while puffing wistfully on his pipe. He had made his decision based on what had happened last time Naruto pranked him.

***FLASHBACK***

"Ojisan where's my unlimited ramen coupon gone"? Said Naruto one fine sunny day.

"Sorry Naruto- kun I had it revoked".

"What is revoked Ojisan" said a still smiling Naruto.

"Oh it means cancelled Naruto-kun" replied Sarutobi without thinking about the consequences.

Quicker than a speeding bullet Naruto shot out of the aged Kage's office plotting his revenge.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a veteran shinobi, after surviving great shinobi wars he was not going to let himself get beaten by some little kid. He did everything by the book, making his own food, detecting poisons, not changing his clothes. His son Asuma had thought that his dad had finally cracked.

All was well; Sarutobi had finished his paperwork and not a prank in sight. He lent back in his chair and lit his pipe with his favourite Katon Jutsu. He opened his special drawer and pulled out his icha icha gold edition.

'_Now for some good quality relaxation'_ he thought to himself.

He opened his book and to his horror, instead of his usual soft porn, each page was replaced with pictured of an orange toad with blue spots. On the back page in an untidy scrawl that was immediately recognised as Naruto's handwriting, it said, Gama- chan my wallet if feeling empty thanks to you getting rid of my ramen coupon. So I decided to draw pictured of her in your favourite book. By the way, what's making love?

Sarutobi sat for five minutes in a daze, while weeping softly to himself. He heard sniggering coming from the pot plant where one of his ANBU guards was hidden and vented his frustration by launching a paperweight at it.

Now he knew how Naruto had managed to sneak into the Hokage office. Several female members of ANBU had a, what he considered to be, irrational hatred of the icha icha books. They must have instructed Naruto on how to break in.

***FLASHBACK END***

Sarutobi shuddered to himself upon recalling that particular memory.

"OK Naruto, how about a compromise, ill give you one sensei to teach you BOTH things rather than 2 senseis. How does that sound?"

Naruto stood for a moment in his thinking pose before replying

"Yeah sure thing Ojisan."

"Ah that's brilliant meet me here at 5am sharp ok Naruto- Kun?"

"Yep ill be here" shouted Naruto before saluting his favourite person and running of through the hall much to the annoyance of the Hokage's receptionist.

"Akiko- San" called the Hokage

"Yes Hokage- Sama" replied his receptionist.

"Send for Uchiha Itachi please"…

**10 Minutes Later…**

Uchiha Itachi was a prodigy through and through.

Itachi was born into the Uchiha clan and was praised by all as the best of his generation - a genius above all others. Even by the standards of the battle-adept Uchiha clan, Itachi's prowess far outshone them. However, not even his family, friends, or teachers could understand him.

When he was only four, Itachi had already witnessed countless lives lost due to the Third Great Shinobi World War, which emotionally traumatized him and turned him into a pacifist. At age 7, he graduated from the Ninja Academy at the top of his class after only one year, mastered the Sharingan at age eight, passed the Chūnin Exams at age 8.

He was praised highly by his father, who saw the family's future in Itachi, hence neglecting his youngest son, Sasuke. However, during this time Itachi showed great affection towards his little brother and even encouraged his father to come to the Academy enrolment ceremony for Sasuke, something their father had otherwise forgotten, by saying that he would not go to an important mission that would establish Itachi a place in the ANBU ranks.

It was this love and compassion show by Itachi that prompted Sarutobi to enlist his help with the training of Naruto. He hoped that Naruto's bubbly nature would be able cure the web of insanity woven around Itachi.

"Itachi I have a very important A rank mission for you" said the Hokage immediately slipping into his formal tone.

"What do you require of me Hokage-Sama?" replied the young genius

"I wish for you to train one Uzumaki Naruto, You are to tutor him individually till he reaches the age of 7 in order to enter the academy"

To say that Itachi was taken aback would be an understatement, however as any good Ninja would he kept his emotions under check.

"When do you wish me to start Hokage-Sama?"

"Meet me here at 05:00 hours on the dot, and then you will get to meet Naruto-Kun"

"Yes Hokage-Sama" Itachi responded before bursting into a flock of crows.

'This will either be a great success or I could have just turned Naruto into a mindless killing machine' Sarutobi let himself get lost in the smoke trails drifting from his pipe as he pondered the two outcomes of his decision.


	3. Of Chats and Shopping

Chapter 3 is here!.

292 hits on my first day, thats realy awesome.

Thank you to the 3 guys who reviewed my work aswell.

So... Enjoy and please review..

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and if I did I'd build a life size replica of myself with £2 coins.

**New Divide'- Linkin Park**

Hello – Normal Text

"Hello"- Normal Speech

'Hello' – Normal Thoughts

"**Hello"**-Demon/ Summon speaking

'**Hello'**- Demon/Summon thoughts

It was 4:55 am, Naruto anxiously made his way towards the Hokage tower to meet his new sensei. He was really interested who his sensei would be, when he threatens his Jiji with pranks he usually gets good results. He gave himself a little lecture to make sure he was on his best behaviour. Ojisan always said that first impressions were key to a good friendship.

He also really wanted to try and learn lots of super cool jutsus that he had seen doggie nee san doing but he made himself promise to do one thing at a time so he was sure the master the basics.

Saying hello to Akiko- San on his way into the Hokage tower he made his way into Sarutobi's office. She looked into the reservation book and saw his name marked down. Naruto knocked and waited for the call to enter, Sarutobi made sure that etiquette was drilled into Naruto as soon as possible. With the demon hanging over his head, he had to be seen as polite. Hearing permission to enter he opened the door and went inside wearing a large smile on his face.

"Ah Naruto- Kun, good morning. Ready to meet your new sensei?" The Sandaime asked happy seeing Naruto in such high spirits.

"Hey Jiji I'm fine thanks. How are you? I've been great". Naruto said in his usual chirpy voice.

Eager to impress his Oji- San, he told him all about his latest training session with Bowl- San. Just when he was about to ask about his new sensei somebody knocked on the door. Knowing that this was probably his sensei Naruto quickly shut up and looked at Jiji.

"Enter." Sarutobi summoned the young Ninja who was to become Naruto's new sensei.

The door opened and a young man only five years older than Naruto walked through the door and entered the office. Naruto gulped and turned his head so he could see just what his sensei looked like. First thing he noticed was that his sensei was how young he was. His clothing consisted of a black Uchiha shirt with a large Uchiha clan symbol on the back, and black pants with a weapons pouch strapped to them. He, like all members of his clan, possessed dark grey eyes, black hair that hung near his cheeks to frame his face and a long ponytail in the back of his hair;

"Good morning Hokage-sama" the young man said slightly bowing to show his respect.

"Ah, good morning Itachi-san. Glad to see you in such good spirits. I would like to introduce you to your young student. Itachi, this is Uzumaki Naruto." Sandaime said.

"Naruto, I would like you to meet your Jounin sensei Uchiha Itachi." Sandaime said introducing Itachi to Naruto.

Naruto jumped up from his chair and formally introduced himself to his teacher which he did as well. He was in a state of shock and awe; here was Uchiha Itachi, a living legend in Naruto's eyes. Rumours were always flying around the ANBU compound about the Uchiha prodigy, and here Naruto was becoming his own personal student.

"Well, since I have lots of paperwork to do today I'm sure the two of you can get to know each other better on your own. Naruto, listen to your sensei. He's a very accomplished shinobi and will teach you a lot. I will see you soon okay?" Sandaime said while dismissing the both of them.

Naruto simply nodded, he was holding a mini party in his head and was too excited to utter even a squeak.

"Well fishcake, let's go some place where we can get to know each other. How about your little hiding place on top of the fourth's head? Itachi said with a slight smile.

Naruto wondered how he knew where he hid after pranks, but he just put it down to his sensei's sheer awesomeness. When he arrived at the head he was out of breath and panting very much but he had sprinted all the way to show his sensei his abilities. Itachi looked at him with a look that said 'well done, you're in time'. He sat down and motioned to Naruto to do the same.

"Now, I'm sure you have questions about almost everything but that is usual for a child of your age, before that we'll take some time to talk with each other okay? Well, I'll go first. As you know now my name is Uchiha Itachi, I'm 8 years old and I specialize in assassination and infiltration. I was the youngest person to ever graduate the academy and at the moment I have achieved Jounin rank, hoping to join the ANBU. My favourite without a doubt has to be gods gift to mankind- Pocky. This is the first time I accepted to teach so it's going to be new to both of us. Okay your turn." Itachi finished with his part of the introduction.

"Meh, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm 3 years old and I have been living in the ANBU compound for the last few months. My favourite food is ramen from Ichiraku's. My hobbies are playing pranks and training with Bowl Ni san and Doggie Ni san. I made the promise to become the greatest shinobi in all the lands so people will respect me. My likes are my precious people and my dislikes are the people who treat me nastily. My dreams are to make my parents and Sandaime Jiji proud, to become the best shinobi and finally to become Hokage myself." Naruto said with a look of sheer determination in his eyes.

Itachi nodded seeming to be very satisfied with Naruto's introduction. He looked at him and realised he would have to purge the thought of orange shinobi gear from the young boy's mind.

"Very good, I'm sure we will get along fine. Now I'm going to answer any questions you may have as long if I have the answers. If I don't know the answer I will get back to you on that question when I do have an answer." Itachi told Naruto.

"Hmm. My first question would be why did you agree to to teach me? Also will you teach me super cool blaster jutsus? Will we do missions? Assassination and infiltration sounds cool but will I have to learn those as well?" Naruto quickly asked his questions, reverting back to his usual playful self.

"Those are very good questions Naruto. Let's see, the reason I accepted to teach you is because you and I both have the potential to be great shinobi, I want to make sure that your raw talent is nurtured.

What I will teach you will depend on you. What I mean is that we will work on the things you need the most. When those things are learned we will focus on things you would like to learn. Now mind you I'm not an all knowing person so some things you'll have to learn on your own but I will help where I can. Basically you have to fully understand the basics before we can go on to teach you ' super cool blaster Jutsus'.

Now concerning missions we won't do any of those until you are a qualified Genin. Before you start complaining I'm doing this so we can use this time to fully devote you to training. You will see the reason in this soon enough. Where we will train is a surprise." Itachi said answering Naruto's questions ending with a slightly sadistic twinkle in the corner of his eye.

Naruto who was about to start protesting about the no mission's thing quickly shut up and started thinking. Four year of wholesome training would allow him to become stronger and more advanced so that was not a bad idea. Beside he had heard about the so called missions Genins were forced to do. Catching a cat was no fun for a ninja. Learning and studying what he wanted with his teacher's help sounded really cool so that was okay too. He quickly nodded showing his agreement.

"Glad you agree Naruto, I promise that you won't regret it. Itachi said.

"Now tomorrow Hokage- Sama going to get you some proper shinobi equipment and clothes." Itachi explained.

**Next Morning**

Waking up at around 7am he had plenty of time to think about the things he wanted to buy today. At first he wanted to buy lots of ramen but then he remembered his promise to become the world's best shinobi and to do that he would need equipment and decent clothes. So that's what he decided to buy.

It was a shame but he had to let go of his orange OCD. Not that he hated the colour orange now, but it was a large risk for a shinobi to wear bright colours. How was he supposed to hide from his enemies while wearing an orange t-shirt? So he needed some new cool clothes. So he patiently waited for the time when he would have to leave to meet with the Hokage and his new sensei. He was a bit nervous though. He didn't want to cause trouble after all. Well, maybe a little trouble would be fun but too much trouble would be bad.

Walking to the Hokage tower he didn't meet anyone he knew so he just kept walking ignoring some crude remarks. Though he was used to them about now they still hurt him when he heard them but he had decided to ignore the annoying people who were always angry about something. Arriving at the tower he went straight to his Jiji's office. Hearing the call to come in he quickly opened the door and entered the room.

"Ah Naruto, right on time I see, very good." Sandaime said with an element of shock in his voice. He was a little surprised to see Naruto earlier than expected, but he supposed that Naruto was very excited to go shopping so he understood. Taking his hat form his desk he walked toward Naruto and took him into the hallway where he told Akiko- Chan that he was going out of the office for awhile. She nodded and bid him a nice morning.

"So are you ready Naruto? What do you need? Don't worry about the money I have it right here." Sandaime said to a very hyper Naruto.

"Well, I need some new clothes, can't be a ninja with orange clothes so that's what I want to do first if that's alright with you. After that it depends how much money I have left. If have enough left than I would like to buy a new set of kunai and shuriken, also Itachi sensei said I should probably get a sword." Naruto told him. This was not entirely the truth but he had seen one on Itachi's back and thought that it would be nice to have one too.

Sandaime nodded and started to lead the way towards the shinobi Centre of town. Naruto had been there a few times but never to actually buy something. All his other stuff came from second hand stores which were cheaper; also these were usually the places that actually decided to sell items to him when he was on his own. So he was really lucky the Hokage wanted to accompany him. Seeing his adopted grandson happy smile warmed Sarutobi heart more than anything these past years. Sure his actual grandson made him smile too, off but Naruto's smile was so much more special to him since it was a true smile and not the fake smile that Naruto used to unnerve people in the streets.

Arriving at the shop where he knew that Naruto would be treated right he had a small smile of expectation on his face. He wondered how Naruto would react when he saw a proper shinobi store. Getting Naruto's attention and showing him the way in he quickly turned around to see the look on Naruto's face. He wasn't disappointed at all. Naruto's face showed a look of wonder and astonishment, you read his thoughts without trying.

"Wow!" was the only word that came out of Naruto's mouth but his face said the rest and that was more than enough for the shopkeeper and Sandaime to softly laugh at Naruto. Naruto promptly began to run around the shop touching just about everything that he could get his little hands on. He had never seen so many cool ninja things in the same place before, and this was something seeing as he lived on the ANBU compound.

Naruto looked inside the large store and saw row's upon row's of shinobi equipment from simple clothes to shuriken and kunai. A large section of the store was reserved for equipment like katana, knives, weights and much more stuff some of which he didn't even know the name of. He felt like he could get lost in this place and probably could spend hours looking at everything he didn't know or had heard about but never seen. For a young kid like himself this truly was the place to be, there was no doubt about it.

Seeing that Naruto was lost in his own little world Sarutobi went to greet his old time friend Hirameki Kazuki. They had been good friends when they were very young and had. Kazuki was one of the few persons who actually had permission to call him Sarutobi instead of Hokage-sama.

"Hello Kazuki-san how are you this morning?" asked Sarutobi.

"I'm doing very well Hokage-sama. Thank you for asking." Replied Kazuki.

"Kazuki-san, how many times have I told you to address me by my name instead of my title?" Sarutobi asked teasingly.

"Lost count at one hundred, Sarutobi-san." Kazuki answered audaciously.

Naruto who had stopped staring at all the things in the store now stood beside the Sandaime looking astonished at the conversation. Nobody he knew so far addressed his Jiji by his name and got away with it.

"Naruto, I would like you to meet an old time friend and one of the best shinobi I have ever had the privilege to know, Kazuki-san. Kazuki-san this is Uzumaki Naruto, a young child looking for a new look and equipment." The Sandaime Hokage said introducing them to each other.

Naruto quickly showed his good manners to the man and introduced himself. Kazuki looked at him and beamed saying it was a pleasure to meet him. Now once again Naruto was stunned. Clearly this man knew about the Fox but he treated Naruto like he was just a normal customer.

"Well, little guy tell what you're looking for and I'll help you along the way." Kazuki kindly offered.

"Well mister, I would need pants, shirts, shoes and the lot. I want dark colours and flexible material so I can still do all my climbing and jumping. If I have enough money left I would also like a set of new kunai and shuriken." Naruto said looking at Kazuki and then his Ojisan.

"Very well, no problem with that. I have all you need. Well let's get busy shall we? First pants and shirts. Would you like long pants or shorts? How about the shirts, should they have long sleeves, short sleeves or no sleeves?" Kazuki asked Naruto.

"Long pants, long sleeve shirt please." Naruto confirmed. He also wanted gloves that would protect his hands and fingers.

"Do you have gloves available Kazuki- San? Fingerless ones with the metal thingies on them? And do you have shoes that cover the whole foot instead of exposing the normal sandals? Also If possible I would like a Jounin style vest." Naruto asked Kazuki reeling out a long list of items without even pausing for breath.

"Looks like young Naruto knows what he wants isn't it Sarutobi-san? Sure thing kid, I got all those things you asked for. No worries. Why don't go look for a vest and shoes you like while I get you a pair of pants and shirts." Kazuki said with a smile on his face.

Some minutes later Naruto came back with a pair of shoe's which had a steel tip that protects his foot but that would also enhance damage while kicking. Naruto never understood why almost every shinobi wore sandals; they looked silly and didn't provide decent foot protection. His vest was a black version of a Jounin vest. It was made out of Aburame spider silk and offered protection against kunai and shuriken as well as weak sword slashes. It also had several pockets for storage use. While Naruto had been out choosing his stuff Kazuki had picked out some pants and shirts for Naruto to try on. After a few minutes Naruto chose a pair black pants and a pair of long dark blue shirts with the Uzumaki spiral on both arms. He also had found the gloves he wanted. Just like his vest the gloves were made out of spider silk and would offer some protection for his fingers and hands. Looking at himself in the mirror he could help but think that he just made his first step towards being a ninja.

While Naruto and Kazuki were busy, Sarutobi was looking for a present for Naruto. He felt that Naruto deserved some help and being Hokage was a well paid job so he didn't mind spoiling Naruto a little. He found a nice set of 10 kunai and shuriken that could conduct chakra, and a short ninjato called Kuro Rai ( Black Lightening) which he knew Naruto would be very happy with so that's what he decided to buy.

Naruto who didn't know how much he had to spend so he went over to ask his Ji-chan about it. Maybe he still had some money left to buy some extra equipment. That would be so cool he thought.

"Ji-chan , just how much can I spend? I forgot to ask. Do you think I have enough to buy all these clothes?" Naruto asked a little worried.

Sarutobi who hadn't seen Naruto change into his new outfit looked at Naruto and he could see the making of an brilliant shinobi. The clothes Naruto picked out were made for him. They fitted nicely but did not cling to him. All in all he looked like a strong shinobi to be.

"You have nothing to worry about Naruto. I am going to cover all of your costs for today. So you still have lots of money left but I would advise you to put some of it away in case of an emergency later." Sandaime explained to Naruto.

"Really a present? For me? Wow, thank you Jiji you're the best. I promise not to prank you for a long time" Naruto said in a cheeky voice.

Sarutobi looked at Naruto and explained chuckled. Then Naruto asked for advice on what he should need or buy.

"Well, I always found sealing scrolls very useful. You can seal lots of stuff inside and because it's just a scroll it's easy to carry around. No needs to carry a large backpack just seal everything in a scroll or two and you're done." Kazuki explained.

Naruto loved the idea. He thought it was a very good idea to have some of those. He could already see the use of them. He didn't have many things but some things he didn't want stolen or broken so by sealing them and carrying the scroll with him his possessions were safe. He bought 10 of them since they weren't really expensive. After having being explained how to use them he also bought some explosive tags, flash tags and some ninja wire which he also wanted to try one day.

After thanking Kazuki for about five minutes he was told that he was always welcome in the shop so Naruto promised that he would definitely come back and buy stuff. Naruto and Sandaime left the shop and went back towards the tower where they would have lunch together.

Naruto's life finally started shaping up.


	4. Into the Woods we Go

737 hits so far, so I thought I'd update for my loyal fans.

Thank you to all my faithful reviewers' as well. That's a big shout out to

**Umbra8191**** , ****demonkira****, ****shadowz117****, ****dragonbike**** and last but not least ****Naginator**** .**

So... Again enjoy and please review..

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and if I did I'd build a life size replica of myself with £2 coins.

**Hero- Nickleback**

Hello – Normal Text

"Hello"- Normal Speech

'Hello' – Normal Thoughts

"**Hello"**-Demon/ Summon speaking

'**Hello'**- Demon/Summon thoughts

Naruto sat deep in thought, this was going to be intense but the more he thought about it the more excited he became. After these four years he would certainly be much stronger than any ninjas of his own age. He couldn't wait to start.

"Alright, that's it for today fishcake. Prepare yourself as tomorrow your training starts. You might want to go say goodbye to Hokage-sama and Kakashi- San since you won't see them for awhile. I'll meet you at the main gate tomorrow morning at 6am. Bring everything you might need and I MEAN everything. Don't worry about books or stuff like that I will be able to get those for you when I make my report to Hokage-sama every week. See you tomorrow and don't be late got it?" Itachi said before leaving.

Naruto nodded promising he would be on time left. Thinking that saying goodbye to his precious people wasn't a bad idea, he went back to the village where he started searching for Kakashi. Finding him at the KIA monument, he quickly paid his respects and told Kakashi that they would meet again in four years, when he would return to 'kick ass'. Kakashi accepted laughing at Naruto's challenge. Kakashi wished him a successful training session and told him he would look book a challenge for Naruto upon his return.

Next he went to Ichiraku's, while he was there he had enough ramen to feed a hungry elephant knowing he probably wouldn't have the chance the chance to eat ramen for many years. Teuchi-San and Ayame-Chan wished him well and told him that they would miss him very much, this was followed by waterfalls of water cascading from Teuchi's eyes, as he realised how empty his pockets would be over the coming years. He then went to say goodbye to his Jiji who also wished him well and told him to study hard so he could become Hokage.

"Hurry up and become strong Naruto. I can't stand this amount of paperwork anymore. It's driving me nuts." Sandaime said laughing to Naruto.

Naruto laughed as well and while leaving asked why Sandaime didn't use the funky self clone no jutsu that doggie Ni san did when he wanted to train. Sarutobi stood there looking at the closed door shocked beyond belief that Naruto had given him the solution to one of his biggest problems. He quickly used the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu to make several clones and attacked the remaining paperwork for the day. Content, he sat back in his chair, lit his pipe and pulled out his Icha Icha.

'_Ah'_ he smirked to himself. _'Life just got a whole lot easier for this old timer'_.

****Next Morning****

Naruto woke up at 6am feeling a little edgy about the beginning of his tuition but he had a good mood about his sensei. He looked badass for one and he was sure that he would teach him a multitude of ninja techniques. He had everything packed last night. He packed all his new clothes, his new shuriken and kunai set, enough explosive and flash tags to make a new year firework display, his entire reel of ninja wire and most importantly of all, he strapped Kuro Rai to his back. Sarutobi made sure the sword was long enough for Naruto to use up until he turned 15; however this meant the sword was a bit big at this moment in time. (Naruto looks a bit like Hitsuguya looks wearing his sword, i.e. it's noticeably long).

At 6.30 he closed the door of his little ANBU accommodation and sprinted off towards the main gate without looking back. He arrived with almost 10 minutes to spare so his sensei would be impressed by his willingness to learn.

Itachi had a harder time leaving his home, he made sure to tell his mother and Sasuke that he would be away on a long term mission before going to his father and covering up his mission by saying it would be required for his entry into ANBU. He went to see his best friend Uchiha Shisui and told him about Naruto and how he would be training him. Shisui was glad to see his friend happy and eager for the first time in ages. Though he didn't personally know Naruto, he never bore a grudge against him for holding the Kyuubi; and he respected him for doing such a duty for the leaf village. He privately thought that Naruto really was a hero in his own way and he respected him for never loosing his jolly nature amidst all the hatred.

"Alright fishcake, let's go. Oh, some advice you might wanna keep in mind. Keep your wits about you." Itachi said softly trying not to scare Naruto too much before the training actually began.

Naruto nodded with a small smile and followed his sensei. He really didn't understand grownups and their constant warnings. What was so good about warnings anyway? Surely it was funnier if people got surprised. After some time they reached a huge barrier with an opening which was locked with a vast seal. Itachi stopped in front of the seal, bit into his finger, and smeared some blood onto the seal

"This, fishcake, is the ANBU hunting ground. It's a very dangerous place for people to be in due to the size of the animals living in here, it used to be a training ground for experimental jutsu but the constant exposure to chakra changed the landscape drastically. It's also one of my favourite playing grounds, Hokage-Sama added me to the blood seal interface once id passed my Chunin exams with flying colours.

There is only one gate in, but don't be fooled into thinking that this place is small, a couple of years ago a squad of ANBU wondered in for a laugh and spent 2weeks trying to find their way out. The whole forest is divided into several areas. We will stay in an area that is filled with the toughest animals so that your senses can get attuned at an accelerated rate. Once inside we'll head out North West where there's a good place to camp. You cool with that? Follow me." Itachi motioned Naruto to follow him.

They travelled for about 4 hours until they came at the place Itachi mentioned earlier on. There was a small stream, a small glade suitable for jutsu training and a cavern where they could sleep sheltered from rain and wind and a few animals. Itachi went inside the cave and dropped his backpack and took out a scroll and pen before coming back out of the cavern into the glade. He gestured to Naruto to come and sit next to him.

"Alright, I have come up with a rough training schedule in moth sized blocks. The first two months we'll be focusing on chakra control and taijutsu / physical training, I kid you not this is gonna be tough- but I don't care, it's my way or the highway. The day starts at 6am, at that time you will start with stretching and some running, this will be followed by a strenuous work out to develop some muscle on your skinny frame. Then at 7am we'll have breakfast. Subsequently you'll start learning how to channel your chakra and also how to specifically direct it toward individual tenketsu. As you advance we shall practice tree walking and water walking, the other half of the time will be spent working on taijutsu kata's. During that time you and I will spar using the styles I have chosen for you. After assessing your general movements I have decided to teach you the senko-ken" (flash fist) said Itachi, smirking to himself at the significance of the style.

"After lunch we'll work on stealth and infiltration methods, making traps and human anatomy, this will allow you to become efficient using all types of weaponry, poisons will be covered during these times. After that you're free to study or practice what you want and I'll help you however much I can. Sounds good to you?" Itachi finished explaining.

Naruto sat for a while processing the bulk of information, then he quickly agreed saying he couldn't wait to get started on all this appealing stuff. Itachi chuckled satisfied that he didn't have any comment or remarks on the training schedule he had made the night before. Since it was almost time for lunch he decided to let Naruto catch some rabbit that they could prepare using a fire jutsu. Naruto who had never been camping before enthusiastically went over to the nearest rabbit den before stuffing an explosive note in and running. BOOOM. Itachi smiled when he looked at him having fun.

"Seems like we wont need a Katon jutsu after all" joked Itachi.

After lunch he asked him what kind of things he would like to learn while they were here. It was better that he knew beforehand so he could prepare adequately.

"Well, I really want to learn about sealing, my boom stick notes are awesome and I wanna make some even better ones compared to the ones I bought at Kazuki-San's store and he told me that you can do a lot of things with seals so I really want to learn about that. Also I have this really cool sword but since I don't know how to use it I think I would like to learn how to use one. What I also want to learn is how to make a jutsu, Kakashi- Ni san has his lightening thingy and I want one so I can be known all over the shinobi world. I know that there are a lot of jutsu but learning to make my own would be so cool. " Naruto said all in a jumble, wanting to express all of his ideas at once

Itachi whistled at some of the things Naruto wanted to learn. Sealing and jutsu making were fields of study that were incredibly tough and dangerous. When he told him that Naruto just shrugged and told her that he would do it nonetheless. He reminded him that he had many years to perfect his methods. Seeing the truth in that statement he told him that he would try to get him some books on both topics. Since he was a Jounin he had access to the shinobi library in the Hokage tower as well as the vast Uchiha library on his home compound. He was sure that she could find some interesting books for him.

As he slept that night all that was running through Itachi's head was the incredible shinobi that Naruto would become.


End file.
